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SD40th
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South Dakota
US States · Midwest

South Dakota

Coyote State · Capital: Pierre

Coyote State. Capital: Pierre. From the Dakota Indian word for “friends”or “allies”

Entered the Union · Nov. 2, 1889
Population
886,66740th
Capital
Pierre
Entered Union
188940th state
Nickname
Coyote State
Median Income
$56,499
Median Age
36.9years

Basic Information

Coyote State
886,667
Population · 2020
Natives are known as South Dakotan.
SD
Postal Abbreviation
Natives: South Dakotan
36.9yrs
Median Age
Driving age 16 · majority 18
$56,499
Median Household Income

State Symbols

Nickname
Coyote State
Motto
“Under God the people rule”
State Song
Hail, South Dakota”

Origins

Capital
Pierre
Entered the Union
Nov. 2, 1889 (40th)
Origin of the Name
From the Dakota Indian word for “friends”or “allies”

Economy

Industry & enterprise
Agriculture
cattlecorneggshaymilkoatsryesheepsoybeanswheatwool
Mining
claygoldsandstone
Manufacturing
electronicsfood processinglumbermachineryprinting and publishing. South Dakota Geography

Geography

The lay of the land
77,121sq mi
Total Area
Land 75,896 · water 1,225 sq mi.
Harney Peak
Highest Point
Big Stone Lake
Lowest Point
120°F
Highest Temp
120˚ F (7/5/1936)
The Landscape
The state lies within the Great Plains. The eastern half is smooth sloping gently into the James River Valley. The western half of the state has many buttes and ridges. It here that the Badlands with its steep cliffs and canyons is found. The Missouri River crosses the state from north to north.

Cities

Largest cities by population

Largest Cities

History

1794 — today

Famous People

Born or made in South Dakota
Tom BrokawMary HartHubert H. HumphreyGeorge McGovernRed CloudSitting BullSouth Dakota National Sites

National Sites

Parks & landmarks
01

Badlands Nation Park

This National Park cover 243,303 acres. It includes Stonghold Table, the location of the last Indian Ghost Dance, which occurred just before the slaughter at Wounded Knee.

02

Jewel Cave National Monument

This cave covers 79 miles of underground passageway that are studded with crystal and stone formations. It is the second longest cave in the United States that the fourth longest in the world.

03

Mount Rushmore

The faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt have be carved into Mt Rushmore.

04

Wind Cave National Park

Located in the southeastern part of the Dakota’s Black Hills this 44 square mile park includes four hundred bison. The park includes a large cave that is over 27 miles long. It is best known for whistling sound that the cave makes as air comes in and out.

Watch

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